Though at times we tend to focus on some of the negative things that are going on around our campus, we must not forget the many positive aspects of Mississippi State University that far exceed any negative perceptions. For many of us, it is crunch time; midterms are not something that any of us look forward to and the semester is already halfway through. Fortunately it is finally starting to cool down from the hot and humid Mississippi weather, and a new season is finally here.
This year’s Bulldog Bash turned out to be one for the books, with a record-breaking crowd close to 35,000, not to mention the greatest fundraising year that we have ever seen. Students raised an all-time high of $40,000. The Drill was a continued success; the Night Route has continued to have thousands of students ride every weekend; the [Student Association] and the Stennis Montgomery Association were successful in registering over 1,300 students to vote on our campus; True Maroon will bring students, alumni and faculty together at our athletic events and the best Homecoming week that Mississippi State has ever seen is right around the corner.
All of these efforts have one thing in common: They were created and made possible by students. The students at our university are truly exceptional and I am proud to see that there are so many that represent the true character of our great university.
Although the Student Association has been able to work towards achieving our goals, our university has also made great strides in making Mississippi State the place that it is today, and that is our home, the People’s University. Our enrollment has reached its highest peak to date, our freshman class continues to grow and we still continue to serve the State of Mississippi as a premier land grant institution.
A great veteran in our land grant university, Dr. Vance Watson, and I have had an incredible relationship this year, working together to make sure that Mississippi State is engaged with its students. This means a lot when our university president holds it as a top priority to listen to students. I am proud to wear maroon and white, I am proud to be a part of the Bulldog Family and that is exactly what we are: a family that sticks together during the good times and the bad. We must rest assured that our university’s leadership is in good hands and that our university is going to continue to move in that forward direction.
Overall, it truly is a great year for Mississippi State University. We have been through tough times before, such as being on athletic probation, but our university has always come out on top. I am confident that Mississippi State University will continue to be, in my opinion, the best and most successful school in our state. What other university has an office in every county? Bulldogs are known for prevailing, whether it is Will Clark in baseball or Amy Tuck in politics, Richard Adkerson in business or our own Joey Beachum in Jeopardy.
I hope that you will rest assured with the same thought in mind: We will continue to succeed. This is a great time for the students of our great institution, a time where it is not only about what I can do or what the S.A. can do, but it’s what we can do collectively as a student body to make sure our university, Mississippi’s State University, is the best that it can be.
Braxton Coombs is the president of the Student Association. He can be contacted at [email protected].